Tensions are rising in the pro-Russian separatist territory of Transnistria in Moldova, with ominous comments from Moscow raising fears that the conflict in Ukraine may extend to its neighbor. Just back from the enclave, a senior security monitor says neither side wants to get involved in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.
Claus Neukirch heads the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s mission to Moldova where he facilitates the search for a settlement over Transnistria, where breakaway authorities have been in conflict with various Moldovan governments for 30 years.
The trip to Tiraspol, the capital of the self-declared republic, followed a series of unexplained explosions in Transnistria that set nerves jangling. Shortly before, a Russian general included Transnistria in Moscow’s war aims, arguing that ethnic Russians there were being abused.